As the poorest country in Europe, the Republic of Moldova counts heavily on agriculture and food production to sustain its people’s welfare. Agriculture involves around 60 percent of the Moldava’s population. Agricultural land covers 75 percent of the territory, accounting for almost one fifth of GDP. At present, one third of the country’s agricultural land is given over to maize, followed by sugar beet, wheat, grape, apple, sunflower and potato, respectively

As a result of the transformation of agriculture which followed the break-up of the Soviet Union in 1991, agriculture is currently at a stage of reorganization and adaptation and shows negative trends. For example, the production volume in agriculture decreased by half in comparison with the level of the year 1990.

The scientific research in the agricultural and food sector is carried out by a network of institutions subordinated to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry. Within the 9 institutions carrying out plant breeding activities in Moldova, only one belongs to the private sector. This is a relatively high number of institutions, taking into consideration the country’s size and its total agricultural area. Most of these institutions have a long tradition of breeding and a relatively high number of academically well-prepared research staff.

The Republic of Moldova has a wide range of crops included in national programmes, responding mainly to domestic demand. The main crops are grape, wheat, triticale, maize, sorghum, barley, soybean and sunflower.

Inadequate financing is the main constraint for plant breeding activities in Moldova. The available structures, such as adequate experimental fields, laboratories and equipment, suffer as a result of reduced investment in biotechnology research. The shortage of personnel, especially young staff, is also a major issue.